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BACKGROUND: Substance use during pregnancy and early parenting years is a well-known global public health problem, but the literature comparing treatment programs for this subpopulation across countries is limited. This article both describes three women-centered treatment programs in the United States, Brazil, and Argentina and examines similarities and differences among the programs in terms of patient characteristics. Such an analysis can better inform clinicians in the assessment and treatment of women who use substances and improve the universal understanding about them. METHODS: A secondary data analysis of patient characteristics (e.g., pregnant at treatment admission) and patient history (e.g., substance dependence diagnosis, family history of substance use, co-occurring mental health issues) of reproductive age women (N=356) from substance use treatment programs in the United States, Brazil, and Argentina. RESULTS: The Horizons program admitted the highest percentage of pregnant women (60%), Lua Nova (36%), and Casa Santa Clara (17%). Horizons patients (82%) were more likely to have a substance dependence diagnosis than Lua Nova (15%) or Casa Santa Clara patients (13%). Horizons patients (78%) were more likely to have a family history of substance use than Lua Nova (15%) or Casa Santa Clara (57%) patients. Horizons was also more likely than Lua Nova or Casa Santa Clara to have patients who had entered mental health treatment (70% vs. 19% vs. 9%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Substance use problems that continue during pregnancy and parenting are common within different cultures and societies. These analyses identified similarities and differences in patient characteristics, history, and treatment programs. Cross-cultural comparisons of treatment approaches provide opportunities for clinicians to explore new ways of caring for this population.

Mutations in the EIF2AK3 gene underlie susceptibility to the Wolcott-Rallison syndrome, which is a monogenic disease associated with insulin-deficient neonatal diabetes. Furthermore, suggestive evidence of linkage between type 1 diabetes (T1DM) and the EIF2KA3 chromosomal region has been reported in Scandinavian families. We have investigated the hypothesis that polymorphic variants in and around the EIF2AK3 gene might partially account for susceptibility to T1DM in South Indian subjects. Excess transmission of the common alleles of two polymorphic markers (D2S1786 and 15INDEL, located within the gene) downstream of EIF2AK3, either singly (D2S1786, P = 0.01) and 15INDEL (P = 0.02) or as a combination (P0.001), were found in 234 families with a T1DM proband. There was also a clear paternal effect for the 15INDEL marker (P = 0.005) on disease susceptibility. The presence of the common allele of both markers was found in decreased frequency in the subjects with normal glucose tolerance compared to probands with T1DM (both Por= 0.0001). Major common mutations of the EIF2AK3 gene in T1DM were excluded. In conclusion, this pilot study demonstrates an association between the region around the EIF2AK3 locus and T1DM susceptibility.

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Tranarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has been established by a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials as the standard of care for nonsurgical patients with large or multinodular noninvasive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) isolated to the liver and with preserved liver function. Although conventional TACE with administration of an anticancer-in-oil emulsion followed by embolic agents has been the most popular technique, the introduction of embolic drug-eluting beads has provided an alternative to lipiodol-based regimens. Experimental studies have shown that TACE with drug-eluting beads has a safe pharmacokinetic profile and results in effective tumor killing in animal models. Early clinical experiences have confirmed that drug-eluting beads provide a combined ischemic and cytotoxic effect locally with low systemic toxic exposure. Recently, the clinical value of a TACE protocol performed by using the embolic microsphere DC Bead loaded with doxorubicin (DEBDOX; drug-eluting bead doxorubicin) has been shown by randomized controlled trials. An important limitation of conventional TACE has been the inconsistency in the technique and the treatment schedules. This limitation has hampered the acceptance of TACE as a standard oncology treatment. Doxorubicin-loaded DC Bead provides levels of consistency and repeatability not available with conventional TACE and offers the opportunity to implement a standardized approach to HCC treatment. With this in mind, a panel of physicians took part in a consensus meeting held during the European Conference on Interventional Oncology in Florence, Italy, to develop a set of technical recommendations for the use of DEBDOX in HCC treatment. The conclusions of the expert panel are summarized. © 2011 The Author(s).